A year ago, just five Ohio counties posted unemployment rates above 10 percent. Last month, 63 counties had double-digit unemployment figures, with Washington County just missing that mark with a jobless rate of 9.9 percent.
On Wednesday, many local job-seekers were standing in lines at Washington State Community College for a job fair offered by Washington County Job and Family Services.
About 50 area employers and another 15 colleges or trade schools were available for people looking for employment or job training. Nearly 600 people attended the event. Past average attendance has been between 400 and 500.
Candy Nelson, supervisor at Washington County Job and Family Services, said not every employer was hiring, but all were accepting resumes.
"Right now, education might be the real key for a lot of individuals," Nelson said.
For Alisa Queen, 42, of Coolville, the job fair was about hope and finding an opportunity. Queen lost her job at Wilbert Plastic Services in October and has been unemployed since then. Her husband is disabled.
"There's just been nothing so far," Queen said. "Everyone is laying off, and here I am looking for a job."
Queen worked in the office and production areas at Wilbert. She was standing in line Wednesday to see about job opportunities at the Bureau of Public Debt in Parkersburg.
"It's my first stop today," she said. "Hopefully there's something."
For John VanCurran, 22, of Marietta, the job fair was about new opportunities. The new father said he would like stable work and maybe hours that would let him finish his college degree.
"I'm working now... in construction," VanCurran said. "I'm looking for something more stable or something in addition. But really, I might even consider something different all together."
Statewide, the unemployment rate rose to 9.4 percent for February, the highest in 25 years. The unemployment rate for the state was 8.8 percent for January. The February figures are the most recent available and were released this week.
In Washington County, the jobless rate in February climbed from 9.3 percent to 9.9 percent. The unemployment rate in the county was 6.3 percent in December. The county posted a jobless rate of 4.6 percent last May.
Jim Gossett, of Marietta, is one of the latest layoff victims. His job was cut last week by Thermo Fisher Scientific.
"I had no notion, no idea," Gossett said. "Last Tuesday, a group of us were called to a meeting. I thought it was for safety training."
Gossett said he wasn't having much luck at the job fair.
"I'm trying to find something like I've been doing," Gossett said. "I'm a chemical operator. That's my experience, and I'm just not finding it. If I was in my 20s, I would probably just jump at the first thing, but I don't know, maybe that's what I'll have to do."
